Two fragments of a Panathenaic prize amphora (jar)

late 6th–early 5th century BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 171
Obverse, Athena
Reverse, driver seated in a mule cart

The chariot race was the primary but not the only event for wheeled vehicles in the Panathenaic games. Existing evidence indicates that a race for mule carts existed at the end of the sixth century B.C.; how long it lasted is not known. As this piece shows, a major difference between a cart and a chariot race is that the driver of a cart was seated.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Two fragments of a Panathenaic prize amphora (jar)
  • Period: Archaic
  • Date: late 6th–early 5th century BCE
  • Culture: Greek, Attic
  • Medium: Terracotta; black-figure
  • Dimensions: 4 5/8 × 8 3/16 × 3/8 in. (11.8 × 20.8 × 0.9 cm)
  • Classification: Vases
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1986
  • Object Number: 1986.11.1a, b
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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